Mark MariakisTo say the state-runner-up finish, the four region championships and the numerous coach of the year awards don't mean anything to Mark Mariakis would be missing the point.
The accomplishments of an 11-year period as head football coach at Ridgeland High School are important to Mariakis, as they would be to anyone, but moments after announcing his resignation Monday, he made it clear that those things are not what's kept him going.
"It was tough to tell the team," he said. "Like I also told the coaches, I told the kids that all the fluff around football is exciting, but it doesn't compare with the relationship you have with players and coaches. I can remember here 11 years ago sitting in front of 17 players and a handful of parents, whereas now we have 130. That says something about what we have done here."
It reminded Mariakis, whose final tally at Ridgeland reads 72 wins against 51 losses, of his first interview at the school, which had gone through several coaches in an attempt to find success.
"I remember telling them, 'If you're looking for someone who is going to be controlled by the scoreboard, then I'm not your guy. We want to try to build a program and not just a successful season,'" he recalled. "It was great timing, a combination. The first was getting our kids in the weight room during school. The next thing was hiring great football coaches.
"There is a tremendous amount of time and effort that goes into a football season, and it's year-round. To do it half-time means somebody is going to get cheated."
Mariakis, 52, has 30 years in as a teacher, which opens several avenues professionally. He insists he has nothing lined up and he won't rule out coaching.
"I don't know what's in store," he said. "When you hit that magical 30-year mark it brings a lot of choices. I will be doing something next year, possibly some ministry opportunities out there, possibly with FCA. Will I be on the football field next year? I would definitely not say no to that."
As news of Mariakis' resignation spread, other veteran coaches already were feeling the loss of his influence.
"Mark is a great coach, but he's an even better role model for the kids at Ridgeland," Ringgold coach Robert Akins said. "There will be a huge hole to fill at Ridgeland, and I know he'll be missed in the coaching ranks."
Mariakis has agreed to be a part of the search committee for his successor, and he believes several in-house candidates will be interested and should receive consideration.
"This staff has plenty of quality men to continue our program growth," Mariakis said. "I told them I did not want to choose among them because all those guys are like family. I couldn't choose from any one of them; it would be like choosing which one of my daughters I love the most."
Mariakis fought two major battles in the past few years, one on a national level with the Freedom From Religion organization and one on a much more personal level with cancer. He's most proud of the fact that in his 11 years the Panthers never had to suspend a player for being academically ineligible, that 31 of his players signed collegiate athletic scholarships and that he helped coordinate an academic plan within the football program that helped raise the graduation rate of black students from 34.8 percent to 79.2 percent in a four-year period.
Not surprisingly, he said the special times he was able to spend with players is what he will miss most.
"The one special moment on Friday nights that most people don't see is right before the kickoff in the locker room," he said. "The intensity and intimacy right before we come out and go down that hill is special. To see their faces and that look in their eyes -- you can't re-create or emulate that. It's genuine and it will remain with me."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.